The label says, word for word:
Control of pruritus associated with allergic dermatitis and control of atopic dermatitis in dogs at least 12 months of age.
APOQUEL is not for use in dogs less than 12 months of age.
APOQUEL modulates the immune system. APOQUEL is not for use in dogs with serious infections.
APOQUEL may increase susceptibility to infection, including demodicosis, and exacerbation of neoplastic conditions.
New neoplastic conditions (benign and malignant) were observed in dogs treated with APOQUEL during clinical studies and have been reported in the post-approval period.
APOQUEL is not for use in breeding dogs, or pregnant or lactating bitches.
Every approved medicine has a field study behind it, and the label prints what happened:
In a masked field study to assess the effectiveness and safety of oclacitinib for the control of atopic dermatitis in dogs, 152 dogs treated with APOQUEL and 147 dogs treated with placebo (vehicle control) were evaluated for safety.
The APOQUEL label has no section titled Contraindications and no Client Information Sheet. Label section headings are Indications, Dosage and Administration, Warnings, Human Warnings, Precautions, Adverse Reactions. Human Warnings on the label: "This product is not for human use. Keep this and all drugs out of reach of children. For use in dogs only. Wash hands immediately after handling the tablets."
The emergency page sorts the signs by how long you have, and the symptom checker asks what you are seeing. Reactions to a medicine can also be reported to the FDA yourself: how to report a problem.
These answers come from the approved label on DailyMed, read on 2 October 2026. Where the label does not say, the answer says so, and the vet or the pharmacist is the one to ask.
The approved use is quoted at the top of this page. It is given to dogs at least 12 months old to control the itch of allergic skin disease and to control atopic dermatitis. The label read for these answers is the one for the film-coated tablets. Apoquel Chewable has a label of its own.
The label gives no starting time in hours. It says the drug reaches its highest level in the blood in less than one hour on average. In one of its field studies, 86.4% of the dogs on Apoquel had reached the study's mark for less itching after one week, as scored by their owners. Of the dogs on a dummy tablet, 42.5% had.
It is a tablet given by mouth, and the label says it may be given with or without food. The label's schedule is twice a day for up to 14 days and then once a day, and your vet's instructions are the ones to follow. The label says to wash your hands immediately after handling the tablets.
The label does not say what to do about a missed dose. Call the clinic or the pharmacy before you give the next one.
The studies and the warnings are quoted above. The label has no line telling owners when to stop the tablets. It says dogs on Apoquel should be monitored for infections and for neoplasia, which means new growths, so tell the vet about any sign of either.
The label says to store it at room temperature, 68° to 77°F, with short spells between 59° and 104°F allowed. It also says to keep it in a secure place out of reach of dogs, cats and other animals, so that none of them can eat it by accident, and out of reach of children.
The FDA says the best way to get rid of most unused or expired medicines is a take-back option: a drug take-back location, which can be at a pharmacy or a police station, or a prepaid mail-back envelope. If you cannot use one and the medicine is not on the FDA's flush list, the FDA says to mix it, uncrushed, with something unappealing such as dirt, cat litter or used coffee grounds and to seal the mixture in a plastic bag before throwing it away. Flushing is only for medicines on that list, such as opioids. Do not give leftovers to another pet.
Write the dose, the times and the stop date here, then print this page for the fridge.
Dose and times: _____________________________________________
Stop date: _____________________________________________